U.S. stock index futures were slightly higher in early morning trading on Wednesday as the market tried to reclaim record highs in the final days of 2020.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 80 points, or 0.3%, at 30,318.
Futures for the S&P 500 eked higher 11.5 points, or 0.3%, at 3,731.50.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite added 42.5 points, or 0.3%, to 12,883.50.
Wednesday's move higher came after a British regulator approved a coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca for emergency use. The approval followed the discovery of a new COVID strain in the U.K., which has also been confirmed in the U.S.
The number of COVID cases continues to tick higher. The U.S. is now recording at least 180,905 new cases and at least 2,210 virus-related deaths each day, based on a seven-day average using Johns Hopkins University data.
Wall Street also continued to weigh the prospects of additional fiscal stimulus as lawmakers continued to disagree over direct payments to Americans.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's effort to fast-track the bill, passed by the House late Monday, which would increase checks to $2,000 from $600. McConnell then tied the payments hike to demands from President Donald Trump on tech and the election.
Stimulus payments started to go out Tuesday evening, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.
With just two trading days left in the year, the major averages are on track to end 2020 higher. The Dow is up 6.3% for the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 15.36%.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.5% Wednesday for its last session of the year, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index gained 2.2%.
Oil prices gained 42 cents to $48.42 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices dropped 60 cents at $1,882.30 U.S.